


A Lesson in Managing Priorities

by God_of_Doors



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Gen, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/God_of_Doors/pseuds/God_of_Doors
Summary: Arden and Teldryn have been going too hard for too long. The lack of rest was sure to catch up to them eventually.Written for OC Whump WeekDay 1: Sleep Deprivation
Kudos: 21
Collections: Arden and Teldryn





	A Lesson in Managing Priorities

It didn't matter how gently Teldryn nudged him awake, Arden's first instinct was to strangle whoever was pulling him from the blissfully dreamless sleep he'd finally managed to achieve, but violence was not a natural part of Arden's nature, and the aggression abated quickly, leaving behind aching bones and an almost overwhelming sense of despair.

"Masser's past her zenith," Teldryn said quietly. "You ready?"

Arden blinked bleary eyes at his companion, toying with the idea of asking for just one more hour. He knew Teldryn would oblige, but he'd heard the tired hopefulness in the merc's voice, and once his vision cleared he spotted the uncharacteristic droop to his shoulders and the slouch of his back. Teldryn was just as tired as he was, and he had no right to ask him for any more than had already been given that night. Arden groaned and heaved himself to his feet, gathering his bow and sword and taking his place on the boulder they were using as a chair while Teldryn settled down for his own allotted sleep. Arden listened, envious as Teldryn's breathing evened out almost immediately. He hadn't so much fallen asleep as he had simply gone unconscious, and Arden wished he could relate.

He was so tired. He and Teldryn had been on the move for days, trying to purify the All-Maker stones across Solstheim as quickly as possible, but Solstheim was large and fraught with danger, and their progress had been slower than Arden liked. The arrangement that they would each get five hours of sleep each night while the other stood watch had been fine for the first three days, but it wasn't sustainable. Five hours simply wasn't enough to recoup the energy they were expending, not to mention that Arden was still plagued with nightmares from the horrors he saw in Apocrypha, and wasn't even getting the full five hours.

He looked up into the sky until a light breeze picked up, forcing Arden to lower his head to avoid getting ash blown up his face covering. The wilderness of Solstheim was dark and quiet that night, wildlife likely sensing the ash storm brewing and going into hiding. Arden didn't have such a luxury, but he did wrap his cloak more tightly around his shoulders and keep his head down. The cloak wasn't nearly as warm as the bedroll had been, but exhaustion didn't seem to care whether Arden was comfortable before sinking insidious claws into his consciousness and pulling him down into a murky nothingness.

The next thing Arden knew was a horrific screeching and pure, unbridled panic. He flew to his feet, hands scrabbling at the hilt of his sword before he even knew quite what was happening. There was a burst of flame and scorching heat, and Arden finally placed the screeching noise. A burnt spriggan had wandered into their camp.

There wasn't time to think. Arden pulled his sword and swung it at the creature, trying to ignore the way his skin blistered at such close range. He dimly registered Teldryn spouting surprised curses in Dunmeris, slashing again and again while trying to fumble for his dagger with his other hand, fighting the cloak that was in his way with every movement. More flames joined the first bout, telling Arden that Teldryn had pulled himself together enough to lend a hand.

By the time the spriggan fell, Arden's cloak and armor were scorched and crispy, and the pain from the burns on his hands was nearly unbearable. Thankfully, the face covering, though now burned beyond use, had shielded his face from the worst of it. Teldryn looked surprisingly untouched, though Arden was sure if it was because the spriggan hadn't bothered with him or if it was because his armor was made from creatures native to the fiery wasteland.

They stood motionless and panting slightly for a moment, staring down at the dead spriggan and what was left of their camp, then Teldryn looked up at his patron. "Arden, what the fuck?"

Arden's heart plummeted into his stomach so fast he thought he was going to be sick, and a broken sob suddenly tore itself from Arden's throat, surprising even him. "I'm so sorry! Teldryn, I'm so sorry.  _ Oraondrebenya _ . I failed you.  _ Oralornya _ . I'm so sorry." Arden couldn't bring himself to care that he was slipping into Bosmeris. His main focus was trying not to completely break down while also convincing Teldryn not to hate him, though he wasn't quite sure he was succeeding at either. He squeezed his eyes shut and raised his hands to hide his face, sure that he was about to start crying, but the slight movement sent fresh waves of agony through his hands and his breath caught on his pained cry.

Gentle hands pressed him backwards, and Arden allowed himself to be guided back to the boulder he'd been sitting on earlier. He rested his elbows on his knees and let his head hang low, hiding behind shadows in lieu of his hands, which remained in the air away from anything they might accidentally touch. He held his breath, a final ditch effort to keep from outright sobbing. He was alive, Teldryn was alive, most of their stuff was probably either salvageable or replaceable, but nothing Arden repeated to himself could assuage the panic still bubbling under the surface.

Arden hadn't registered that Teldryn had retreated for a moment until he returned to tug lightly at what was left of the cloth over Arden's face. It fell away in pieces, and then an uncorked potion was pressed against Arden's lips. "Drink this."

Arden pulled away, tried to turn his head, tried to ask what it was, but all he managed was an incoherent whine before Teldryn's other hand was on his cheek, guiding him back to face him again.

"It's one of your healing potions, Arden, out of your pack." Teldryn murmured, apparently understanding the reasoning behind Arden's reluctance without needing the questions to be asked, so Arden relented, tipping his head back and swallowing the thick liquid in the biggest gulps he could manage. The weird tingling that always came with healing potions swept through his veins quickly, and he felt the familiar light surge of energy as his body was stimulated into repairing itself. The pain didn't quite disappear completely but it was enough that he could finally endure putting his hands over his eyes.

"Fell asleep, didn't you?"

Teldryn's tone wasn't unkind, but Arden still cringed away, providing another small "I'm so sorry!" by way of an answer.

Teldryn heaved a sigh. "You don't have to keep apologizing."

"You could have died and it would have been my fault," Arden countered. "You trusted me and I failed you."

"You think a single spriggan is going to take me down?" Teldryn scoffed. "Besides, because of you I came out of that fight without a single scratch. Yeah, I trusted you, and I still do."

Arden's hands fell away but he kept his face toward the ground. "That's not the point. I should have been awake. That was my one job."

Teldryn hesitated. "It happens to the best of us," he offered after a moment. At Arden's scoff, he looked away briefly, as though having some kind of internal debate, and then looked back. "If I can still say I trust you after this then I damn well hope you still trust me when I tell you that I fell asleep on my watch too." The words tumbled out in a rush, but when Arden looked up in surprise, Teldryn held his gaze, at least, as far as Arden could tell through the goggles affixed to his helmet.

"Wait, really?"

"Don't make me say it again," Teldryn groused. "I don't think it was more than ten minutes or so, but yeah, I fucking fell asleep. I was going to suggest we head back to Raven Rock in the morning. Neither of us can keep going like this."

"But the Skaal--"

"We've been dealing with this Miraak shit for months," Teldryn broke in. "They'll live another day or two, unless you get killed because you ran yourself into the ground."

Arden fell silent for a moment. He knew Teldryn was right. No matter how much he hated wasting time, he wasn't any good to anyone dead. "Yeah. Okay. We'll go back to Raven Rock."

Teldryn seemed to sag a little in relief. "Good. Are you alright to keep watch until sunrise?"

Arden nodded. "After all that, I don't think I could sleep even if it were your turn on watch."

Teldryn huffed. "You know what? Me neither."

Arden tried not to feel relieved that he wasn't going to spend the rest of the night being a nervous wreck alone, and the two of them spent the last two hours in a quiet but watchful silence, until there was finally enough light to travel by.


End file.
